French Population Is Well-Equipped for Radio Listening

France’s audiovisual regulatory body, Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel, has released the survey results of the third and fourth quarter of 2020 for TV and the entire 2020 for radio. Carried out by Mediametre, the study surveyed participants 13 and over by telephone.

The study found that in 2010, 99% of French people own at least one device that allows them to listen to the radio, most of them computers (87.3%). Among the devices partly dedicated to radio, the car radio was the most common receiver, although it declined 1.7 points from the previous year.

French people aged 13+ own slightly more multimedia devices for listening to the radio (96.2%) than media dedicated to the radio (94.2%).

In 2020, 13% of those surveyed had DAB+ radio in their home. That number has gradually increased since 2014. DAB+ now covers nearly 30% of the metropolitan population. In addition, 12.8% of individuals who are equipped with a car radio have a set that is compatible with the DAB+ reception mode (an increase of 1.8 points since 2019). 

“The next DAB+ rollouts, scheduled for 2021, and the European obligation to equip new cars with DAB+ receivers represent potential growth in dedicated equipment for the coming year,” said Juliette Théry, CSA member and president of the observatory group. 

The average number of devices has increased since 2012 (10.4 in 2020 compared to 9.6 in 2012), thanks in particular to the ever-increasing penetration of multimedia equipment allowing, among other things, radio listening (6.2 in 2020 compared to 4.6 in 2012). Multimedia equipment is logically more numerous, as it meets a wider range of needs. 

The average number of devices dedicated to radio is slightly decreasing (4.7 in 2020, 4.9 in 2012). Among French people aged 13+ equipped with media for listening to the radio, 78% have more than six devices. 

The younger generations are over-equipped with multimedia devices for listening to the radio, the report notes. Young people aged 13–24 have more docks and docking stations (32.2%, i.e. 15.6 points above average), portable music players (22.2%, i.e. 8.4 points above average) and connected speakers (27.3%, 12.7 above average). Professionals (CSP+) are more likely to have car radios or computers for listening (81.9%, i.e. 4.6 points above average). The transistor radio tends to appeal to the 50+ group (57.5%, i.e. 18.5 points above average).

The study also shows that for radio listening, radio-dedicated devices are used more than multimedia ones: 71% of individuals aged 13+ cite a radio-dedicated medium as the primary for listening to the radio (28% cite a multimedia medium). The media most often used to listen to the radio are the car radio (49%, down 5 points over one year), the cell phone (37%, up 3 points) and the Hi-Fi system (28%, up 2 points).